Tuesday, May 27, 2008

kelly nesbitt

"Kelly Nesbitt's debut on L'animaux Tryst is a beautiful lullaby of an album, which I mean in the best of all possible ways. Really, a dreamy haze permeates the entirety of "Beaks that Could Smile" and Nesbitt's subtle, well-crafted music makes it all to easy to be drawn into the enticing world of this album. While most songs make use of only her amazing voice and acoustic guitar, Nesbitt still manages to incorporate elements as far-flung as field recordings and kazoo into her folk sound, and makes it all work together.

The disc opens with the lighthearted "Wishy Washy," which is a minimal song backed by a simple acoustic guitar line. Nesbitt declares, "I'm an animated fool who believes / while my loveliness fades from memory / and impostors grab hold of me." This is just the first of many of the great lyrics. "Glorified Renter" is the next song and it shifts into much darker lyrical content and atmosphere than the opener. She sings, "biting the bullet, leaping with faith, / if this is growing up then I'll do what it takes / in the dirty old stinking old town."

There's something special in every one of the songs on this album, but I'll try and focus on just a few more tracks. In particular, one standout is "Earbait #4," which has lyrics that were allegedly taken "from a note found in a beer can in a parking lot." What makes this track great, aside from the crude, funny lyrics, is the use of light strings to back up Nesbitt's acoustic guitar. Also, the song is punctuated by background recordings of laughing voices and the ambient sound of crickets, imparting a calm, dusky feeling. Another winner is "Tabloids," featuring dual lead vocals, light guitar, and an eerie saw part. In the lyrics, Nesbitt begs, "no don't let the tabloids cause your cancer / or the fluorescent creep".

...there aren't enough nice things to say about this album. It's emotional, it's thoughtful, it's pretty, and at times, it's even funny. What could be better? "Beaks that Could Smile" is a an extremely strong, ambitious effort and it leaves me excited to hear more music from Kelly Nesbitt. Get your hands on this one, if you can. 10/10" foxy digitalis

6 comments:

El Hijo
said...

Is this the entire album or just excerpts? I found a site on the internet, which says the record has 16 songs... the download you are offering has only 10... Not to complain, but one's wondering... Keep up the good work!